


No Fire Without Smoke

by Kato (meowtroid)



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: M/M, One Shot, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:48:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23610322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meowtroid/pseuds/Kato
Summary: Lio has picked up a bad habit to help him cope with all the stress that comes with being ex-burnish. Galo, of course, doesn't approve - and Lio knew he wouldn't.A mini post-canon exploration of their relationship only a few short weeks after the end of Promare.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 3
Kudos: 94





	No Fire Without Smoke

**Author's Note:**

> There's no explicit romance in this one (though the implications are still heavily there), this is just an exploration of some of the very beginnings of Galo and Lio's relationship post-canon! Possibly part of a series of such explorations, I'll add it to such a series if I see fit.
> 
> (also I'm choosing to use Fahrenheit as the unit of measurement for temperature here solely on the idea that Promare probably takes place somewhere in a fictional United States)

Lio took a long drag on the cigarette perched between his fingers, feeling his lungs burn with the sensation. The orange light that appeared at the smoldering end was satisfying to watch grow, and he wished he had the lung capacity to keep it burning longer. But his lungs screamed for release.

He let the smoke curl from his mouth and nose simultaneously, watching the trails of white drift up towards the pink-orange sunset sky. His arms were leaned forward on the railing that kept him from tumbling off the edge of Burning Rescue's rooftop. There was probably some taboo about smoking on top of a firehouse - but at this moment, when his nerves were frayed to their limit, Lio didn't have a care in the world.

That is, until he heard a voice speak up behind him.

"There you are."

Lio tensed, but suppressed the urge to toss the cigarette off the roof. It was Meis's voice - he didn't have to hide anything from Meis. He simply grunted an affirmative to his ex-general as he took another drag.

"Been looking for you, Boss," Meis continued, approaching to stand beside him, leaning forward on the railing alongside him. "Huh. You picked up smoking?"

"Hm," Lio grunted another affirmative, blowing another cloud of smoke into the air.

"Gueira too. I'm guessing he's the one that got you into it." Meis gave a devilish little smirk. "Does Galo know?"

"Why does it matter if Galo knows?" Lio snapped, probably a bit too defensively.

"So I'm taking that as a no, then," Meis said with a growing grin.

"Tch." Lio looked away with irritation, back at the city skyline, gently tapping the ash off the end of his cigarette. "Galo is bad at minding his own business. I don't need a lecture on what a fire hazard these are, or what a health concern they could be."

"He does that often?" Meis asked, clearly trying to hold back a laugh.

Lio rolled his eyes dramatically. "'When was the last time you slept, Lio?'" the ex-burnish said in a mocking tone, making several exaggerated motions. "'Why haven't you eaten yet, Lio? Shouldn't you take a break, Lio? Did you remember to wipe your ass, Lio??'"

"What are you doing out here in the cold, Lio??" yet another voice spoke up from behind, almost perfectly matching in tone to the mocking voice Lio had been putting on for Meis.

Lio tensed, and this time he really did consider throwing the cigarette off of the rooftop. If he did that in front of Meis, though, he'd never, ever hear the end of it. So instead he put on a cool expression, and simply looked over his shoulder, back at the blue haired cockatoo that had shown up out of nowhere.

"How'd you even know to find me here?"

"Sorry, Boss," Meis said with the biggest shit eating grin he'd ever seen, "that was me." His ex-general held up his cell phone with a text message to Galo displayed on the screen.

Lio's eyes went wide with fury, and if he could still conjure fire, he'd be breathing it. "Traitor," he hissed, too quiet for Galo to hear.

"I was worried when you took off without saying anything," Galo interrupted a bit bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't think you'd be out here. It's like 45 degrees and you hate cold weather."

"It's not that cold," he replied coarsely, shooting his eyes back forward while stubbornly gripping his cigarette. "I'm not a child, Galo."

"I know that!" Galo responded, approaching closer while not taking the hint that he clearly wanted to be left alone. "I just thought something might be wrong when you didn't tell anyone where you were going and-- eh??"

Galo was now right up beside him, leaning on the railing with an accusatory stare as he looked down at the cigarette in his hand. "The hell? You're up here smoking??"

Meis couldn't hold his laughter any longer, though he at least had the good grace to keep it to a low set of chuckles rather than full on guffaws. "I think I better head back inside before Gueira or any of the rest of Mad Burnish get into any trouble-- whoa there, Boss!"

Lio tried to kick him in the shin, but Meis was quick, and dodged out of the way of his thick soled boot just in time.

"You can take care of it from here, big guy," Meis laughed again, patting Galo on the shoulder as he took off running towards the roof access before Lio could have another go at him.

"Bastard," Lio growled, eyes firmly set upon the roof access door as it slammed shut, pointedly not looking anywhere near Galo's expression. Of course Galo didn't get that Lio was trying to avoid eye contact with him, and immediately moved right in front of his view, trying to catch his gaze. Lio averted his eyes again, his back now leaned against the railing as he put the cigarette back to his lips and took a long, spiteful drag.

"Dude, what the hell are you doing? Those things are seriously bad for you-"

"'Not to mention a fire hazard,'" Lio finished his sentence for him, using that same mocking tone he had earlier when venting to Meis, blowing smoke back up into the air.

"Well they are!" Galo said with exasperation. "When did you even start smoking?"

"How do you know I wasn't smoking before I met you, Thymos?" Lio shot back, waving the cigarette in the air, white wisps of smoke curling with the motions. "Also, why do you care?"

"It just seems like..." Galo frowned, folding his arms across his chest. "Wrong, somehow! Like at the very least you shouldn't be lighting cigarettes on top of the station!"

"Well my apologies for not walking two blocks down to smoke in peace," Lio grumbled sarcastically, though internally he admitted that Galo had a point. It was a bit... tasteless, to be doing this on top of a firehouse - on top of Galo's turf, no less. Especially when he knew Galo wouldn't approve.

"Ugh, that's not even the point," Galo sighed. "Look, there's no way you were smoking before we met-"

"How the hell do you know that?"

"Cause you wouldn't be hiding up here like a teenager smoking in a high school bathroom stall if this were a regular habit!" Galo shot back. The bluntness of his statement made Lio blush; he hoped the dimming light cast by the sunset didn't make it noticeable. "So that means this is a recent thing!"

"Fine," Lio admitted, holding the cigarette up to his mouth as he turned back towards the city skyline. "So it's a recent thing. So you still haven't told me why the hell you care so much. I don't know if you recall, but up until three and a half weeks ago, I was always a walking fire hazard, and my long term health was the least of anyone's concerns." He took a drag, closing his eyes in irritation.

"Same reason I care if you're cold out here or not. You're my friend, Lio."

Lio shut his mouth tightly, lips pursed. He'd been considering blowing smoke in Galo's face only a moment ago just to piss him off, but... it was kind of impossible to go through with it after hearing that. So he turned his head and blew the smoke in the direction of the breeze, away from the both of them.

But despite the sentiment, Lio was still feeling bitter, and so he bit back anyway. "Then instead of judging me and chastising me like I'm some child, you ought to hold your tongue and let me make my own damn decisions."

"I'm not judging you-!"

Galo's words were cut off by Lio's piercing scowl.

"... Ugh, I'm not judging, seriously," Galo repeated, leaning beside Lio on the railing. He was so much taller than Lio - and his hair gave him an added height on top of which - but in that moment he looked small. "I'm just... I dunno, I can't get you out of my head lately."

"What??" Lio looked at him incredulously, like that had been the most offensive thing Galo had said.

Galo's face burned with embarrassment as he held up his hands defensively. "I mean you've been through hell and back! And things are still hard for you!! And, I don't want them to be! I want you to be okay - more than okay. So I see you doing stuff like giving up your bunk for one of your Mad Burnish members, or forgoing your share of lunch for one of the homeless folks that have come to us for help, or letting everyone else in the building take a shower first and use up all the hot water before you get in, and I think, 'Damn! If Lio isn't going to look out for himself, then someone has to!'"

Lio wasn't sure his own face could burn any brighter - not without the Promare, at least. But his scowl was softening, almost turning into a smile.

"Is that why you offered to drag me into the showers with you yesterday?" he said, trying not to snicker.

"Well duh, why else would I have offered??"

"You're such an idiot," Lio murmured, though all the venom had seeped out of his voice as he leaned his shoulder into Galo's arm, shaking his head.

"We've already established that," Galo shrugged, knocking his arm back against Lio's shoulder and keeping it there. "Sorry, if all that worrying makes me seem like I'm treating you like a kid... really, I'm sorry. I just want to take care of you, I guess."

Lio felt a little guilty, now, for mocking Galo so relentlessly earlier. He hadn't meant it... Well, he had, but he hadn't understood Galo's actions earlier, not really.

"I'm sorry, too," Lio offered back, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. "I'm not used to people caring about me... not on the level you seem to, anyway. The other burnish, especially Mad Burnish, will always have my back, but I... I'm used to keeping them at arm's length. I'm used to people letting me be the boss, letting me put their needs before mine, no matter what." He glanced up at Galo, his pink eyes more gentle now, softening with the dimming light. "Then you come along and start pointing out my needs, not content to just let me have my way, and I get defensive. I don't see it as you looking out for me - all I see is someone trying to dictate what I should or shouldn't be doing with myself, and it pisses me off. But that's not fair... or mature."

Galo frowned, looking down at the streets below. "I didn't know. I really didn't get why you kept fighting me over it, either. I guess it didn't occur to me that I'd be coming off as bossy or judgmental..." He rubbed one hand through his hair in thought, sighing with the effort. "It makes sense, though, you putting yourself so low on your list of priorities. I think I get that - you've always been that kind of person, haven't you?"

Lio's ears were beginning to tinge with red.

"I still don't get the smoking, though," Galo admitted, scrunching his nose.

"Stress relief," Lio replied calmly, sucking in more smoke. "And nostalgia. It feels... it's not the same, not by a long shot, but it reminds me of being burnish. Look around at the refugee camps for the ex-burnish sometime, you'll see it's become a really common coping mechanism for losing our flames. I'd been considering it for a while - Gueira finally got me to try it out, and it helps." Lio waved his hand one more time, watching the smoke bob and weave with his gesture. "This, coming up here and giving myself a moment to relax, to grieve... this is the closest thing I have to any kind of self care right now. And I know it's stupid, and selfish-"

"No!" Galo cut him off, eyes wide with... sadness? Guilt? "No, that isn't stupid! And it definitely isn't selfish. I had no idea it had to do with being burnish, but that makes a ton of sense. Ugh, now I sound like a total ass-"

"If anyone's been an ass lately, it's been me," Lio interjected, wanting to do anything to wipe that guilt off his face. "Maybe I wouldn't even need this silly coping mechanism if I listened to you once in a while."

"It isn't silly," Galo insisted again. "I mean, it's bad for you... and yeah, I do worry about you starting a fire by mistake. You're already bad about leaving burners on in the kitchen, or forgetting how hot food is before you put it in your mouth. But if this helps then I'm not going to take that away from you."

Lio closed his eyes, and let out a deep breath. "I don't plan to do this forever... if anything, I recognize coping like this is unhealthy, and a weakness. I just can't think of how else to process everything yet. But..." With a definitive motion, Lio put the cigarette out on the edge of the metal railing, snuffing its flame. It was almost reduced to a stub regardless, but he figured it'd be best to stop there to emphasize his point. "I want to get better. I think, with time, I will get better. Sound like a deal?"

Galo's familiar smile finally came to settle upon his face, right where it belonged, chasing away all the guilt and concern that had been written on his features before. "On one condition."

Lio's lips pulled into a tiny smirk. "Name it."

"No more smoking on top of the firehouse!" Galo said, shaking his head like he'd been scandalized. "That's just wrong!!"

Lio couldn't help but laugh. "Fine, you win."

Galo held his hand out for Lio to fist bump. "It's a deal, then."

Lio bumped his fist back.


End file.
